But If I Glance At You Again
by Half Demon Alchemist
Summary: AU Allen Walker transfers schools for a fresh start. He wants to leave what happened in his old town behind, and hopes this school will be different. Of course, it isn't. On his first day, he's labeled as a freak. But Lavi Bookman is different. He wants to be close to Allen, he wants to know more. He wants to know why he doesn't speak to anyone, why he doesn't stand up for himself.
1. Pity

**Hello! This is my first DGM story... I've written like twelve FMA stories, and I've decided that I really wanna try writing for something else, so here I am! Enjoy! **

_'Thoughts'_

**Full Summary: **Allen Walker transfers to Black Order High for a fresh start, a new beginning. He wants to leave what happened in his old town behind, and he hopes his new school will be different. Of course, it isn't. As soon as he walks in the doors, he's labeled as the freak. But Lavi Bookman is different. He wants to be close to Allen, he wants to know more about him. He wants to know why he moved here, why he doesn't speak to anyone else. Why he doesn't stand up for himself. But they both wonder, if they glance at each other again, what hidden emotion will surface this time?

**Disclaimer: I do not own DGM, if I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, now would I?**

**_Chapter One:_**

**_Pity_**

**_Noun: The feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others or the cause for regret or disappointment _**

**_Verb: Feel sorry for the misfortunes of _**

With each step he took, another head turned in his direction. Eyes widened, people turned to their friends to whisper harsh words. Rumors started, thumbs were frantically tapping away at the cellphone screens, passing on the lies they had heard from their peers. Fingers pointing at the boy who walked down the hallway as he stared straight ahead, trying not to let their actions or words get to him, snickering as they glanced at him, instantly branding him as a freak before they knew what he was like.

No one even knew his name.

Not that they cared anyway.

Cruel names were yelled, but no one dared approach the boy. _They were scared. _That was how they were raised... If someone looks different from the rest of you, if someone acts differently than you, ostracize them. Tease them. Fear them. Hurt them. Make them wish they were never born. It's their fault, after all.

It's their fault because they aren't like you.

As Allen Walker marched down the hallway of his new school, he forced himself to stand up straighter, and he clenched his hands into fists at his sides. He wouldn't let his first day at his new school go like every other day at his last school. He had so hoped that this school would be different, had prayed that these people would be a little bit more open minded than his previous classmates, had been so hopeful that they wouldn't judge him on his unusual appearance.

Of course, they did.

And as Allen turned down the corridor to the cafeteria, he wondered if he would once again be without friends, before mentally rolling his eyes at his own question. Of course he wouldn't have friends, all he had to do was look around him for the proof. The people who weren't laughing or making fun of him were cowering away from him, keeping their distance.

"Hey freak! Go away! We don't want you here!" A deep voice called, and laughter followed after.

"Go back to the lab where you came from! Creep!"

"He's a demon! I told you, he's gonna try to kill us!"

And yet, Allen never said anything against them, instead choosing to lose himself in his book. He admit to himself that while the words were hurtful, it was nothing compared to what he had dealt with at his previous school. He could deal with this.

His gloved hands turned the page of his book, and he could feel the glares directed his way. Allen knew he wasn't welcomed here, but he hadn't done anything. He hadn't stood up for himself, hadn't even introduced himself. And yet, they all acted as if he was some sort of demon.

"He's a monster! I don't want him at my school..."

"What a creepy guy. I heard that he was expelled from his last school after he got in a fight with some guy and almost killed him."

"Do you see his hair? That can't be natural... What a freak."

Allen was seated in the far back of the cafeteria, and no one else had dared sit at the same table as the freak. In fact, the other two tables on either side of him were clear too. Allen went back to his book, forcing himself to concentrate on the words on the page instead of the hurtful words around him. A fist whammed on his table, and gray eyes looked up at the person who disturbed him from his reading. There were two of them, one blonde, and the other with dark purple hair, both with mysterious golden eyes that were narrowed in matching glares. The purple haired one looked rather angry, while the blonde one was standing slightly behind the other, a smirk on his face as he glared at Allen.

"Hey freak, why are you here?" The purple hair teen asked, snarling. "No one wants you here. Just go away already."

And then, the first punch was thrown. The older teens fist connected with Allen's right cheek, and his head whipped back. It stung, and Allen pressed his gloved hand to his cheek. The older teen sneered at him again before heading off to his lunch table, the other boy walking away with him, their friends laughing and playfully hitting the pair on their backs as they glared at Allen.

Allen knew he was ugly, with his snow white hair, and the angry scar that marred his face. But that didn't mean the words didn't hurt. Clutching his left arm in a painful grip, Allen knew that everything would be worse if they saw it. The ugly, deformed limb that was a deep red color, almost black. Dead, rough scaly skin covered the surface, and black fingernails to top it off.

The lunch bell rang, and Allen silently made his way to his next class. In the hallway, people purposefully jammed their elbows into his side, or roughly brushed against his shoulders, knocking him off balance. Some even went as far as to trip him, or knock his books out of his arms. And still, the white haired boy never said a thing. He never protested, never objected, didn't retaliate. Never stood up for himself, never fought back.

It was almost as if he believed he deserved it.

He heard the rumors, the whispers, the insults. He never reacted to them, and he would never let the people around him know, but it really bothered him. Well, anyone in their right mind would be bothered by the things being said, especially if it was about them. As the day went on, the words went from curious and rude to just plain cruel and hurtful. Allen thought that there was a possibility that this school would be worse than his last.

Sitting down in his assigned seat in English, he did his work silently, writing notes as the teacher talked. The classwork was easy for him, and due to his advanced grades he had been put in the Seniors English class, despite the fact he was a Sophomore. In fact, most of the classes he took were for seniors. Hard work paid off, after all.

He went unnoticed by most of the class, sitting in the far back. Only a few stray notes hit him, and he ignored the mean words that were bound to be written on them. Turning his head, he was greeted by the sight of an empty seat, showing that the person who was supposed to sit next to him was absent. It was for the better, anyway. It's not like he needed another tormentor.

* * *

Lavi strolled down the hallway, backpack in hand. He had showed up late today, which he found kinda disappointing, considering he heard rumors that there was supposed to be a new student today. Running his hand through his fiery red hair, he knew he wouldn't make it to his English class on time. Sure, he liked the class enough, but he wasn't exactly in a rush to get there. Unfortunately, he had already missed his favorite class, History.

Putting the books he didn't need in his locker, he heard a 'che' from behind him.

"So, baka usagi, you finally decided to show up, did you?"

Lavi turned around, a smile on his face. "Yuu-chan! Were you lonely without me?" He asked, a teasing tone in his voice.

"Don't fucking call me that!"

The redhead's grin simply widened after hearing his friend's angry reaction. It was too much fun to get Yuu Kanda angry, and they had been friend's for years now, after all. Kanda glared at him, his deep blue -almost purple- hair up in the trademark high ponytail.

Walking down the hallway, Kanda walking next to him, albeit with a scowl on his face. That's when Lavi mentally slapped himself. Kanda had been here all day, hadn't he? So he should be able to answer his question...

"Hey, Kanda, did you see the new student today? I heard we were getting one..."

Kanda was silent for a moment, before replying. "You mean that moyashi? Yeah, I've seen him. Can't say he's very well liked by the other students though, he got punched in the face at lunch. Lenalee told me about it, and apparently he hasn't said a single word all day. Don't know what he did to piss everyone off. Lenalee says it's because he looks different. He's rather freakish looking."

Kanda's answer struck a cord in Lavi, though he didn't let it show on his face. Kids had been picking on him just cause he looks a little different? That was so... Horrible. And this was the kids first day too. Lavi decided to ask one more question before letting the topic drop.

"What's his name?"

This time the one to answer the question wasn't Kanda (who probably wouldn't have answered anyway, let's be honest) and was instead Lavi and Kanda's other good friend, a girl with teal green pigtails, Lenalee Lee.

"No one knows..." She gave a small smile, walking over to the two males. "He really hasn't said a single word all day, not even in class. From what I hear, the teachers don't call on him either, they don't seem to like him much. I've heard rumors that even though he's a Sophomore, he's in most of the Senior classes. I guess he's pretty smart then." She paused, her smile fading for a second before it returned. "Come on, you two! We have to go to last block."

Lavi wondered for a moment if the new kid would be alright, before shrugging and letting Lenalee drag him off to his last class of the day.

* * *

The shrill ringing of the bell alerted Allen that school was over. The white haired boy lingered behind his classmates, not eager to go out in the hallways to see his tormentors, who were bound to be waiting for him. After the last group of teenagers had left the room, he followed behind them, checking both ways to see if the kid who had punched him earlier was there.

He wasn't, and after a moment, Allen deemed it safe. He walked down the hallway to his locker, staring down at his feet on the way there. Today had certainly not been a very good first day of school. It wasn't nearly as bad as the days he had at his old school, but he could tell that his time at Black Order High wouldn't be very pleasant, but he would suffer through it. Two more years to go.

Finally reaching his locker, he had just unlocked it and was grabbing his backpack out of his locker when a familiar deep voice sounded from across the hallways, sending a chill up his spine.

Footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, and Allen's gray eyes saw out of his peripheral vision the guy that had punched him in the face earlier at lunch, the other boy who had been with him, and a small group of a few of their friends. Allen turned around to face the older teen, refusing to back down.

"Hey, freak. You're about to get what you deserve." His golden eyes narrowed in a glare as he examined Allen's pale face. "You disgust me, you monster."

"Devit, Jasdero, come on, give the freak what he deserves! Let's teach him a lesson!" The two's friends crowed from their spot behind him.

Suddenly, Allen felt a fist smash into his cheek, and before he could react, another punch landed into his stomach, making him slam against the lockers. Allen knew he could defend himself, Master had taught him how. But Allen really didn't like to use such harmful methods on people, even if it was to protect himself. After all, Allen knew that it would just give them another thing to fear about him, thus soiling his already hellish reputation even further.

He had slumped onto the floor, and that's when Devit's and Jasdero's group of friends decided to join them. The other teens were kicking Allen against the lockers, sneering all the while as they barked out insults at the small teen. After a few well placed kicks to the head, Allen saw blackness on the edge of his vision, and he fought to keep his eyes open. Allen struggled not to cry, it really was quite painful though. But he had learned from his previous school that crying only made them kick harder. He knew he must look like hell at this point, he could feel the blood running down his forehead, and the bruising on his ribs and back was rather painful at this point.

And then it stopped.

"Devit, Jasdero, come on, let's go... I think I hear footsteps coming, it might be a teacher." One of the lackey's whispered, nervous at the idea of being caught.

"Shit." The two -brothers? Allen wondered- said in unison, before quickly fleeing down the other end of the hallway.

Allen shut his eyes, and he hoped that whoever was walking down the hallway wouldn't see him, and if they did, would ignore him and just walk past, pretending that they had never seen him.

* * *

Lavi practically ran down the hallway, looking for his locker. It had been almost past a half-hour since school had ended, but on his walk home he had realized he had left the text book he needed for the homework assignment. He rarely forgot things, but he had been so distracted by the time he left school it had completely slipped his mind.

But that wasn't the reason he was practically running down the hallway. He had heard some yelling coming from down the hallway, and he wanted to see where it was coming from. He really hoped nothing was wrong.

* * *

Allen groaned as he felt hands shaking his shoulders, and he struggled to open his eyes. Finally managing to accomplish that seemingly simple task, he studied the face in front of him.

It was a boy, probably a few years older than him. He had vibrant red hair, and a green headband. An eye patch covered his right eye, and Allen couldn't help but wonder what happened. But the eye that wasn't covered is what was really special. It was a brilliant emerald color, and it sparked with life. Allen was so lost in his own thoughts he failed to realize that this stranger had been calling out to him this whole time.

"Hey, are you okay?" The stranger asked, concern lacing his voice. "What happened? Who did this to you?" He continued asking questions, and Allen just groaned in reply.

Allen was silently thankful that this guy didn't seem to know him.

"Hey wait..." The redhead asked, realization on his face. "I don't remembering seeing you around before... Are you the new kid?"

The white haired boy forced himself to sit up, and he leaned against the lockers for support as he hugged his knees to his chest before deciding to tell the truth, and he nodded. He knew this stranger would most likely cringe away, call him names and maybe even beat him like Jasdero and Devit had. Allen looked up to see the taller teen's reaction, and saw a different reaction than he was used to.

The single green orb was swimming with sympathy -pity?- and some other unreadable emotion. Allen shrugged it off.

_'He looks at me this way now, but he'll think I'm a freak too. I am a freak. They all know it... I'm just some monster.'_

* * *

Lavi stared at the white haired teen in front of him, surprised. The things he had heard from Lenalee and Kanda were correct, he was a bit... Abnormal looking. But not in a bad way, in fact, Lavi thought he looked rather adorable. He had white hair, that looked soft and shined in the florescent light, and the redhead had to restrain himself to not run his hand through it. He had a scar over one eye that went a bit onto his forehead, an odd pentagram shape, and then down to his cheek and a bit further, but it wasn't ugly. The teen's eyes were a stunning gray, and they flickered with emotion. _  
_

A flash of rage went through Lavi.

Sure, the kid looked a little different, but he wasn't a freak. He hated when people judged others just by their appearance, without even taking the time to get to know the person. After Lavi finished studying the teen, he stood up, sticking his hand down for the other male to grab. The white haired boy hesitated, before finally deciding to take the offered hand.

Lavi pulled him up, surprised by how light he was. After the boy released his hand, a faint blush taking to his cheeks, Lavi stuck out his right hand to him. He wanted to know the guy's name, he wanted to know what his voice sounded like, though if you asked him, Lavi wouldn't be able to tell you why.

"I'm Lavi Bookman, Senior." Lavi told him with a smile.

The other boy hesitated, before shaking his hand with his gloved one. "Allen Walker, Sophomore." Allen blushed as he said his own name, and Lavi thought that was the cutest thing.

Allen had such a sweet voice, it was almost as cute as the boy himself. "So, Allen, what do you say... Friends?"

* * *

Allen couldn't stop the shocked expression from appearing on his face. '_This must be some kind of sick joke. Any second he'll rip his hand from mine and laugh at me'._ But that never happened. Lavi just continued to smile at him, their hands still pressed together.

"So, really Allen..." Lavi took his hand from Allen's slowly, bringing it up to press it to Allen's still bleeding forehead. "What happened? Who did this to you?" His expression seemed to darken for a moment, before returning to his previous concerned expression.

"...I tripped, is all." Allen answered, wincing away from Lavi's touch.

Lavi rolled his single eye. "Yeah right. Allen, if you're gonna lie to me, do better than that." He smirked, pressing his other hand to the deep bruise on his cheek. "So, who beat you up?" The redhead asked, determined to get some answers.

Allen shrugged, looking down at his feet. "Doesn't matter, I'm okay."

A sigh escaped Lavi's lips as he pulled his hands away from Allen's face. "I'll get the answer out of you eventually. We're friends now, so I gotta look out for you. That's what friends do." He flashed another wide grin.

Allen couldn't help but look into that green eye, trying to figure out Lavi. There was no menacing intent, no cruelty. Just kindness and sympathy. Flickers of sadness flashed as well. Allen honestly couldn't figure out why a guy like Lavi was trying to befriend him. This was probably just some act of pity, and tomorrow he would pretend that he had never seen Allen before, or maybe even join in the teasing with the others.

The white haired boy looked to his feet, not wanting to see the emotions in Lavi's eye anymore. Allen was left with one thought, a question for Lavi that he knew he wasn't brave enough to ask.

_'But if I glance at you again, will you still have that look of pity in your eye?'_

_To Be Continued_

**Review please!**


	2. Despair

**Alright, here's chapter two! Enjoy, and review please! And warning, I'm pretty sure this chapter sucks, sorry. And thank you to everyone who reviewed ****the last chapter!**

**Dedicated to: Everyone that read the first chapter yay **

**A/N Allen seems kinda self-pitying in this chapter I guess and I kinda hate that but whatever it'll be gone in a few chapters so please bear with me oh and Lavi has a bit of crude language in this chapter so sorry if that bothers you**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGM! I can barely afford instant ramen on my own, let alone DGM**

**_Chapter Two:_**

**_Despair_**

**_Noun: The complete loss or absence of hope._**

**_Verb: Lose or be without hope_**

His skin was stained purple and black as proof of what they thought of him. Their opinions on who he was and their feelings towards him marred his skin in bruises. He tried so damn hard to dismiss the insults they yelled at him, to pretend he wasn't hurt by the rumors and the girls who cowered in fear when they saw him, afraid what they heard in the hallways was true. Afraid that he really was a monster. He tried so hard to ignore the words on the crumpled pieces of paper that were thrown at him in class.

He tried so damn hard, but he was failing. No matter how much he pretended he wasn't, he was hurt, both physically and emotionally.

Not that they cared.

Back when he was younger, he thought it was a good thing that he was different. That's what Mana said. He said it was better to be himself than to be like everyone else. That being normal was boring. That it was okay being different from everyone else.

And now... For the first time in his life, he thought that Mana might be wrong.

But he had believed that when he was little, he had been proud of being different. He hadn't been hurt by the childish insults that were whispered about him on the playground, or those kids in his class who ignored him. Back when he was six, their parents were already slowly teaching them that if someone was different from you then you need to ignore them, be afraid of them. And then the kids learned from each other that if someone was peculiar then you should tease them, and they'd learn about hurting the weird kid later on.

But even back then, they didn't care if one day he showed up happy and energetic with brown hair and the next day he showed up to collect his things alone with hair as white as snow and a frown marring his young face and tears coursing down his cheeks.

And they didn't care when he never came to school again.

* * *

Allen walked through the mostly empty hallways, ignoring the few snickers he got. But for the time being, Allen couldn't help but realize how much worse everything would be if they saw his arm. His ugly, hideous arm.

"Hey... You see that guy over there? The one with the weird hair?" One girl whispered to the other girl next to her, supposedly being quiet, and apparently unaware that said weird-haired guy could hear everything.

"Yeah... What about him?" The other girl asked, unlocking her phone, prepared to type whatever she heard and text it to all her friends.

"I hear that he's an orphan. Ya know, that his mom abandoned him and stuff, but then the father killed himself or something to get away from him. Do ya think it's true?"

"Well yeah, I mean, if I was a parent I wouldn't want him as a kid either." She said, her fingers typing frantically on her cellphone screen.

Allen continued quickly down the hall, his shoulders back and posture straight. He had to pretend he wasn't hurt, had to feign that he hadn't heard or cared. But in a way, something inside him.. Broke. It's true his parents abandoned him, but he had had Mana. He had been happy.

But that happiness he once had was gone now.

And now, here he was sitting in the back of his calculus class, head down and staring at the paper the teacher had passed out. Although, his thoughts were't on the problems printed on the page, but instead on the note that had been thrown at him from a kid a few rows ahead. _'Die you freak'_ it read, the messy scrawl in black sharpie contrasting with the white lined paper.

The teacher continued talking about things no one really cared about, and Allen was lost in his thoughts. He knew he wasn't ordinary or average or normal or any of the things he wanted to be. He didn't have friends, he didn't fit in with the cliques.

After all, all you had to do was look at the small teen to know that he wasn't... Normal. That he wasn't like the other kids. He was different from them, he wasn't what normal parents would be proud of to call their son. Although, that didn't really matter, seeing as he didn't have any parents. He was just some orphaned kid with freakish hair and a freakish arm. A loser. A monster.

They all called him a monster, a demon... Because that's what he was to them. Everybody knew it.

And now, he was starting to believe them.

* * *

Lavi marched through the school, his thoughts consumed by the younger white-haired teen and self-proclaimed friend, Allen.

The longer Lavi searched for him, the more he was convinced that Allen was just a figment of his imagination that he had somehow convinced himself was real at some point during yesterday. And now, five minutes before the lunch bell rang, Lavi was seriously considering that the sophomore he met in the hallway yesterday was nothing but a ghost. But they shook hands, so he couldn't be a ghost, right?

Lavi was suddenly wishing he had read more books on the paranormal.

The bell rung with a shrill shriek, and as Lavi trudged up the stairs to his next class, he was considering the fact that the ghost/figment of his imagination theory might not be too far off.

* * *

English. The subject had always interested Allen, and he enjoyed the class very much. The other students didn't pay much attention to him, choosing to ignore him so they all had time to jot down the notes the teacher was writing in illegible handwriting on the whiteboard in green marker. And so Allen sat in the back of class, writing down some ideas he had here and there, but mostly just staring off into space.

The seat next to him was still empty, and Allen wondered if anyone was ever going to sit there. Not that it would bother him if the seat was never filled.

"Ah, fiddlesticks." The teacher **(1)** muttered under his breath, walking over to his desk and grabbing the clipboard off the cluttered surface. "I forgot to take attendance."

The teacher read off the list of names, checking off the people who called out 'here!' upon hearing their name. Allen only rose his hand when his name was called, and no one payed any mind to the boy in the back of the room.

"Lavi Bookman?" There was silence, and Allen's eyes widened. That was the boy he met yesterday, wasn't it? Lavi Bookman, huh?

"Do we have a Lavi Bookman in here?" The teacher called once again, and was answered by silence. People looked around, as if expecting that Lavi was hiding under one of the desks.

And just as the teacher was about to mark the absent column, the door practically slammed open, and a redhead burst inside with a jolt. Allen looked at the door out of the corner of his eyes, and was startled to see the boy from yesterday standing there slightly out of breath as if he had just run across the school campus... But then again, he probably had.

"I'm here! Sorry I'm late!" He plopped his bag on the floor near to the empty seat next to Allen before slinking into the seat himself with a sheepish grin on his face, ruffling the back of his fiery hair.

"Now tell me, Mr Bookman, why were you so late? It's almost fifteen minutes into class time."

The sheepish grin grew wider as Lavi answered the question. "Well you see, I kinda got lost."

"And pray tell, how did you manage that?"

Lavi shrugged, pulling out a notebook and pen from his backpack that was lying on the floor. "I dunno, it just kinda happened. One minute I knew where I was going and the next minute I didn't."

"Well, Mr Bookman, don't let it happen again."

And then the teacher went back to his lecture, placing the clipboard back on his messy desk and picking up a blue marker and writing more notes on the whiteboard. During this time however, Allen was panicking that Lavi would recognize him and laugh at him for yesterday. He could practically imagine how it could all go down.

_'Ha! You and me, friends? Yeah right, as if that would ever happen. Freak, go back to hell. You disgust me, I would never be friends with the likes of you.' Lavi said as he raised his fist, bringing it down on Allen's face as the air was filled with a cold laughter._

It could happen exactly like that.

In fact, it was fairly plausible with a school like this. But in fear of the scenario he had come up with in his head coming true, he kept his eyes fixed to his notebook, writing down all the random thoughts that came to his mind, desperately trying to shut out the world around him, especially the older teen sitting next to him.

But, as fate would have it, Lavi did notice him. Almost instantly. The singular green eye widened, and a smile spread across his lips. Lavi had finally found the boy he had been looking for all day, and he mentally sighed in relief. Allen was sitting right next to him, which meant he wasn't a figment of his imagination like he had considered, which meant he wasn't insane.

Now all he had to do was talk to the kid. Which proved to be far more difficult than one would originally think. After all, he didn't want to sound like an idiot, and he had been rather straight forward yesterday. What if he scared Allen off? And Allen was just so cute and interesting, he didn't want to do that. No, he wanted to know more. Why was Allen here? Why did everyone hate him, besides the fact that he looked different? Was there any reason for why he was treated this way, or was it just 'kids being kids'?

To be honest, Lavi almost did a double-take when he saw the state Allen was in. The wounds from yesterday had turned into ugly bruises that stained his pale face, and most likely everywhere else on his body that was covered by a baggy white long-sleeved button-up collared t-shirt and dress pants. Did the kid really dress this way out of his own free will? Well, then again, Allen looked damn good in it, so Lavi would let the clothes slide. But seriously, he was such a small kid, and he didn't do anything to deserve those bruises. What the hell was wrong with the kids at this school? What kind of person would do this type of thing to someone like Allen?

Inhaling, Lavi tried his luck, deciding to just go for it. "Hey, Allen. I was looking everywhere for you today." Instantly, Lavi swore at himself mentally. _'Way to sound like a fucking stalker, Bookman. Nice going.'_

As Lavi swore at himself, Allen was in the midst of a small panic attack. Why had Lavi been looking for him? So he could laugh at him, maybe beat him up a little? To mock and tease him and say terrible things about him? Well, why else would someone as seemingly popular as Lavi be looking for him? There was no other possible reason, right? They weren't really friends after all.

After a moment without Allen replying, Lavi tried again. "So how's your day been going?"

Allen rolled his gray eyes. Surely the redhead already knew what his day must've been like. Countless threats and insults, scared whispers and punches. Glares and disapproving glances. Surely he knew that already, so why was he asking? Just to rub it in Allen's face?

"...Fine." Allen whispered in reply, still staring at his notebook.

The white-haired boy wanted to believe he had a friend, really he did. He wanted to have that someone that he could tell things to, that he could have inside jokes with. The person you'd call up on the weekends when you were bored and the person who could answer every question about you. The person he'd call a best friend. He just wanted a friend. But he wouldn't let himself be so naive as to think that this other boy really wanted to be his friend.

Lavi counted it as a good sign that Allen replied, and so he continued. "Do you have any plans for lunch tomorrow?" Lavi figured he might as well ask, he had already stated that they were friends, so why not? It was just lunch after all, it wasn't as if he was asking the kid to marry him.

"I uh..." Allen stuttered, lost on the thought of_ 'why'. _Why would someone like Lavi want to know what he was doing for lunch? There was no reason he needed to know that information, but he had such a happy sparkle in his emerald eye... "Um, I don't have any plans at the moment." The petite teen finished, turning to the next page of his notebook.

The redhead stifled a laugh, careful so the teacher wouldn't notice. "Pfft, there's no reason to be so formal. We're friends, Allen. You can be yourself around me." Lavi laughed with a dazzling smile.

And as he stared at the brilliant smile Lavi flashed at him, Allen could say for once that he honestly and truly believed the words that were spoken to him.

"Thank you." Allen replied, knowing it was probably a stupid thing to say, but he could't think of any other thing to say, because he really and truly was thankful. And again, for the first time in a long while, he smiled a bright and true smile, and Lavi swore it was one of the most breathtaking things he had ever seen. And this smile was just so absolutely _real_ and so painfully beautiful, and Allen couldn't remember the last time he had smiled like that.

Maybe he had a friend after all.

* * *

English class was over, and the two packed up their things, taking their time. They had passed the rest of class telling jokes and chuckling silently to themselves in the back of class as they passed a note full of random doodles and quips back and forth. Allen wasn't entirely sure they were friends yet, but it was close enough for him. Lavi was his good acquaintance, and Allen had legitimately had a good time.

Maybe he was just setting himself up to be hurt and betrayed, but at this point, he didn't entirely care. He honestly liked Lavi as a person, and he wanted to believe that for once, he had a friend. That for once, someone didn't care about his strange hair color or freakish scar.

Just this once.

Maybe he had opened up too soon, maybe he should've just ignored the green-eyed teen sitting beside him. Maybe that's what he should've done, but he hadn't.

"Hey, Allen, what's your next class?" Lavi asked, stuffing his things carelessly in his bag as he turned to face the younger teen.

"Uh, Chemistry I think." Allen was still rather soft-spoken and shy, but he was slowly coming out of his protective shell.

"Hmm, I don't think I have any other classes with you... Then I'll see you tomorrow, right?" He asked with a smile as the two walked out of the door together, walking down the hallway. He liked Allen, he really did. They would be great friends, he could tell. Allen was smart and sarcastic, and he seemed kind. He just hoped that Allen would come to trust him more as time went on, but he couldn't blame the small teen for being cautious around him. After all, everyone else in the school had been acting like a major asshole to Allen, so of course the boy would be skeptical at any sign of kindness or friendliness.

Allen rolled his gray eyes, a smirk forming on the corner of his mouth. "We do have English together, so luckily for you, I suppose that you will see me again."

"You sassy lil' fucker you know what I meant."

And Allen just gave a small grin in reply.

* * *

Last block was over, and Lavi had decided to visit Allen at what he figured was his locker, seeing as that's where they met yesterday, and Lavi just kinda pieced it together that it was Allen's locker through pure wit and intuition (well, that's what he claimed, but he actually had seen Allen closing his locker door yesterday and happened to have photographic memory).

The older teen managed to get there as soon as Allen had finished shuffling down the hallway to his locker, softly groaning in pain the entire way. Fresh bruises marred his face, and Lavi instantly knew what had just transpired in his absence.

"Hey little buddy, you sure you're doing alright?" He asked, walking closer to Allen as said boy opened his locker door and pulled out his needed binders and backpack.

Lavi could't help but wonder what kind of terrible things they all said to him this time. He had heard some of the rumors himself, and they weren't nice. There was talk about him being an abandoned orphan and a murderer. It was absolutely terrible, and Lavi hated every rumor he heard. He knew it wasn't true, not about someone like Allen.

After all, they didn't even know his name.

But Allen just forced a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm alright."

Lavi knew that they weren't close enough for Allen to tell him the truth, and he knew that if he asked Allen might just distance himself from him or become irritated. Then again, if this was Lavi in Allen's position, he wouldn't want to talk about it either. He'd have to become much closer to Allen in order to get the answers he wanted, and that would take time. It'd take time to gain Allen's trust and friendship, but it would happen, Lavi was determined to make sure it did. He didn't want this white-haired boy to be all alone.

So, he just smiled back at Allen, letting the younger teen believe that he accepted that answer as the truth. And as he watched Allen fumble with his locker, wincing with every movement, Lavi was left with his thoughts. Sure, Allen said he was okay..._ 'But if I glance at you again, will you still have that look of despair etched on your face?"_

_To Be Continued_

**Don't forget to review!**

**(1) If you have any ideas of what I should name the teacher, please tell me, otherwise it'll just remain "the teacher" throughout the rest of the story.**

**VOTE: Now, some of you may have noticed the dictionary definitions at the top of the page by the chapter name and stuff (I added one to the first chapter too) but do you like that idea? Should I change the look of it or scrap it completely? **

**A/N This is my first time writing a DGM story, so if any of the characters are off, please let me know. Like if Allen or Lavi needs to be more sarcastic, Lavi needs to be more ****humorous or something, let me know so I can fix it! Thank you!**


	3. Content

**Welcome to the third chapter, I hope you enjoy! I've been so unmotivated to write this story, so I'm kinda forcing myself to update, so if the chapter sucks, that's why. But enjoy and review nonetheless! Oh and Kanda has a rather bad potty mouth during this chapter (I love him so much omg) so if that bothers you... Sorry?  
**

**Okay note: I really really hate this chapter so it probably sucks. Sorry. **

**Dedicated to: All my lovely reviewers! Fireworks for you! *Fireworks explode in the sky* **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own DGM, but I do own 64 new volumes of manga to add to my ever-growing collection (because I have no self-control)**

_**Chapter Three:**_

_**Content**_

_**Adjective: In a state of peaceful happiness**_

**_Adjective: Satisfied with a certain level of achievement, good fortune, etc., and not wishing for more_**

The morning had passed quickly enough, and Allen was nervously packing up his things to go to lunch. He did, in fact, remember Lavi's request for him to join him for lunch, and Allen was admittedly very nervous. He had never been invited to join someone for lunch before, and he was rather anxious to see how this would go.

Meanwhile, as he slowly shuffled out of the classroom, his mind elsewhere as he stared at his stack of binders and folders in his hands, he was greeted by a voice from behind him.

"Took you long enough, moyashi." Said Lavi, using the nickname that had been established during their English class yesterday, that the redhead knew irritated Allen to no end, and therefore, used it as much as possible. That was what friends did. They piss the hell out of each other, in an affectionate way.

The white-haired boy turned to face his new friend, who was currently leaning on the wall closest to the door of the classroom he had just walked out of, flashing him an icy glare after hearing the nickname. They were closer than before, and Allen dared to call the other boy his friend, although a part of him was still fretting that this would all go wrong.

Seeing as he was completely lost on his thoughts on how not to screw-up this lunch thing, he hadn't noticed Lavi had already started to walk down the hallway and had turned to face him with a concerned and slightly confused look on his face.

"Allen? You coming?" Lavi asked, curious as to what the younger teen could possibly be thinking of. Allen followed after him, stopping for a moment to stuff his binders in his locker.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

* * *

Allen was lead into the crowded cafeteria -which was an area he usually tried to avoid, seeing as it was a room full of people who hated or feared him- but he followed Lavi nonetheless, and tried to ignore the glares and gaping stares that followed his every movement. Lavi seemed to sense that he didn't entirely want to be there and was walking far slower than necessary, because he turned around and grabbed Allen by his elbow, dragging him playfully to the desired table.

Lavi ignored the shocked gasps when he touched Allen. Wow. Was it really that shocking for them? Well then again, this was high school. They must all think that it's terribly shocking that someone popular like Lavi would talk -let alone have lunch with- the the school freak. It bothered him, to be honest. Allen was actually a pretty cool guy, but just because he looked a little different from the others he was ostracized.

They finally reached the table, and Lavi plumped down in his usual seat, dragging Allen to sit next to him. His two friends had different reactions, as expected. Kanda acted as if he literally couldn't care less, and he probably really didn't care, but Lavi knew that he was a little curious. Lenalee examined Allen carefully, before nodding in what Lavi guessed was approval.

"Guys, this is Allen. He's my new buddy, so I wanted you two to meet him too." Lavi said with a grin, hooking his arm around Allen's shoulders and hearing a shocked squeak from Allen in reply. "Allen-" Lavi continued, pointing to Kanda. "This is Yuu..." Hearing said teenager's angry growl upon hearing his name, Lavi corrected himself in fear for his life. "...But you should probably call him Kanda." Kanda nodded curtly in approval, and Lavi proceeded to introduce his other friend. "And this is Lenalee Lee."

Allen nodded at them both, giving them both the teens on the other side of the cafeteria table awkward smiles as Lenalee smiled brightly at him and Kanda ignored him, as he did most everybody, instead just muttering 'fucking moyashi.' Kanda and Lenalee exchanged glances after seeing Allen's bruises that practically covered his pale face. They had heard rumors about how he was treated and Lavi had told them a bit about him yesterday after school, but they hadn't expected it to be like this. From what Lavi had told them -which had been quite a bit- they knew that Allen wasn't treated nicely but this... This was just... Terrible.

"Anyway guys, as you probably already know, Allen's new here. He's a little quiet but he's awesome." Lavi said, stealing a french fry off of Lenalee's tray.

The small teen lowered his eyes. Did Lavi's friends hate him too? They all appeared to have been friends for a long time, judging by the way they joked and talked with each other. If those two told Lavi that they didn't like Allen, would Lavi abandon him? Would Lavi ditch him too? Then again, if that really did happen, Allen wouldn't blame Lavi.

He wouldn't want to be friends with himself either.

But they _were _Lavi's friends, so maybe they really were nice people. He was keeping silent although he felt more comfortable talking around Lavi, he wasn't entirely sure about Lenalee and Kanda, but he'd give them a chance. They could be the friendliest people in the entire world for all he knew. Feeling slightly more optimistic, he looked up from his lap just in time to see Kanda pulling a sword from out of fucking nowhere and trying to cut off Lavi's head as Lenalee tried to restrain him.

Okay, so maybe not so friendly.

"Hey Lavi..." A deep voice called from behind him. "Is this little freak bothering you?" The random peer growled, glaring at Allen with a look of disgust on his face, as if he was nothing more than the scum on the bottom of his shoe. "Want me to get rid of him for you?" He asked in the same tone of voice as if he was talking about the weather.

"No." Lavi said instantly. He tried to keep his tone friendly, but he ended up sounding irritated. "Allen is my friend, okay? I invited him here." He said with a smile, pulling Allen even closer to him.

The football player looked confused before exchanging glances between Lavi and Allen. "Did the demon threaten to put a curse on you if you didn't have lunch with him?" He asked seriously, as if that was an actual problem that could actually happen.

"Allen is my friend." Lavi repeated, knowing that by this point there were other onlookers eavesdropping on their conversation. "And we were having a lovely lunch together, until you interrupted. And in case you didn't hear... I asked Allen to have lunch with me."

The teenager looked stunned, as if that wasn't something that could ever possibly happen. As if you had just told him he had sprouted fairy wings and grown two extra heads. "But the little monst-" He began, but Lavi cut him off.

"He's not a freak or a monster. He is an ordinary human being that you all treat like trash."

"Are you guys... Ya know... Fags?" Another voice asked from somewhere in the cafeteria.

Allen froze stiff, and before Lavi could even begin to answer, an angry growl interrupted.

"Will you guys just shut the fuck up?! I wanna eat my damned salad in peace and you fuckheads are making too much racket! You're all shitty human beings anyway, so the least you could do is shut the fuck up before I punch someone in their damn face!" Kanda yelled, veins popping on his forehead with anger. Now, he wasn't yelling at them all _just_ because he wanted to eat his 'damned' salad in peace, but also because he had to admit that Allen seemed like a nice enough guy, moyashi or not, and it was wrong that they were all treating him like he was less than dirt. The kid hadn't even done anything wrong. And the fact everyone was treating him this way just pissed him off.

Everyone quickly turned their headed back to their own conversations and the boy that had been standing behind Allen left, and everyone pretended it had never happened out of fear for Kanda. Allen decided that while maybe Kanda had a little bit of a temper (and he was still extremely curious as to where the hell he got the sword from in school) that he was a decent guy. And yeah, he was Lavi's friend, after all. So Allen would give him a chance too... And maybe even they could be friends one day. And Lenalee seemed nice enough.

"Sorry Allen..." Lavi said softly, apologetic that he had forced his new friend to come here instead of thinking of how badly Allen would get harassed.

The white-haired teen just shook his head before forcing a smile on his own face. "No... I'm sorry. That wouldn't have happened if I wasn't here."

"Allen, it wasn't your fault that these people are all dickheads." Lavi told him seriously, as he munched on another stolen french fry.

"But I'm used to it." Allen said honestly and a little piece of Lavi's heart broke by the pure honesty in his voice. Even Lenalee and Kanda seemed a little sympathetic towards him after he said that. "But you three don't need something like that to ruin your lunch. Really..." He lowered his head, no longer having the courage to actual look at his friend and the two possible friends. "I'm sorry."

He stood up silently, preparing to leave the cafeteria and never have any of those three talk to him again, but that wasn't the case. A hand latched on to his wrist, and pulled him back down in his seat.

"Look, Allen... This is what friends are for." Lavi continued, he and Lenalee flashing smiles at him, and even Kanda was looking in his direction albeit not smiling, but paying attention to him nonetheless. "We're your friends now, even if Kanda will never admit it. He wouldn't have yelled at everyone like that otherwise." The redhead said with a grin.

Allen lifted a gloved hand to his mouth, trying to hide his smile that all three of his new friends had already seen.

* * *

Lavi was sitting in class, bored out of his mind when Allen's cute little smile popped in his mind. That kid really was adorable when he smiled. His whole face just seemed to brighten, his eyes had that hint of a sparkle that had been missing before, and the small blush that graced his cheeks. It was endearing, really.

...And that was a perfectly normal way to think of a new friend.

Wasn't it?

* * *

English class had already arrived, and as usual, Allen was one of the first people in his seat. He waited almost... Eagerly for his friend to arrive, and his heart almost fluttered every time he thought the word _'friend'. _It was so new to him, having someone like Lavi. Someone he could joke around with and smile with and someone he could just _be himself _with. Allen was holding a book that was open to the page he was supposed to be reading, but he wasn't actually reading it, instead indulging himself on his own thoughts.

It was nice to think that there was someone who he could actually trust and talk to without knowing they hated him and without thinking that they would hurt him. Maybe this was only temporary. Maybe Lavi was just trying to be nice and didn't actually care about being his friend. But for some reason, he doubted that. Maybe it was just his foolish hopefulness talking, but he actually thought that perhaps Lavi would stick around him for a while.

_'Speak of the devil and he shall appear.' _Allen thought as Lavi burst into the room, moments before the class started and sat down in his seat next to Allen after dropping his binders on the desk with a loud _thump._

"Hey Allen." Lavi greeted with a smile. "What're you doing?"

Allen just shrugged, lifting the book for Lavi to see. He really wasn't doing anything, and he'd rather die before he said '_just thinking of you'_ that was something that girls said to their boyfriends, and well, he wasn't a girl and Lavi definitely wasn't his boyfriend. Allen blushed at the embarrassing thought, and Lavi just gave him a confused look before he proceeded talking.

"Hey Allen, what're you doing on Saturday?"

Confused, the small teen answered anyway. "Tomorrow? Nothing that I'm aware of, why?"

His eyebrows were scrunched up in confusion and curiosity, and Lavi had to wonder if he had ever hung out with anybody before. Judging by the look on his face, he hadn't. Oh my god. He had never hung out with friends before. That's why he was so confused... It was because no one had ever invited him to hang out with them. It made him wonder if he had ever been invited to lunch before... He probably hadn't. The green-eyed teen's heart went out to Allen, and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of lonely life Allen had been living. It made him want to show Allen the world, make him smile. Show him what friends were for, show him the the world really could be a good place.

He wanted Allen to smile because of him.

"Well because I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the amusement park with me." Lavi almost blushed, noticing how much this sounded like a date. "It's starting tomorrow, and Kanda would rather die than go and Lenalee already has plans... Not that I wouldn't have invited you anyway!" He quickly added, realizing that it sounded like Allen was his last choice to invite, which he wasn't. "But uh, is that something you'd be interested in?"

It took a moment for Allen to reply, but he gathered all his courage to answer his new friend. "Yeah... That sounds... Fun." A light blush was etched into his cheeks, and he had to admit he was excited. This is the first time he would be hanging out with a friend! He couldn't help but smile at the thought.

The teacher walked in the classroom, having just come back from the printer to gather the papers he needed for class but had run out of during his last class. "Okay class, settle down, settle down... Class is beginning."

Lavi and Allen turned their attention to their teacher who was starting to ramble on about some book they were all supposed to start reading soon, but Lavi didn't miss the brilliant smile that Allen flashed him before turning his head back to the teacher.

Yeah, Lavi was determined to keep that amazing smile on Allen's face.

The older teen smiled back at his friend, unaware if Allen had even seen it. Allen, who had been glancing out of the corner of his eye at the redhead, smiled secretly to himself. Maybe this school wouldn't end up being so bad after all. Looking back at his teacher who was writing something on the board that no one was actually paying attention to, Allen was left with his own thoughts.

_'But if I glance at you again, will you still smile at me like that? As if you're content just to have me by your side?' _

_To Be Continued_

**VOTE PLEASE: Would you prefer the nicknames such as 'Baka Usagi' and 'Moyashi' to be in Japanese or English? In other words, would you rather read "'Fucking moyashi' Kanda growled." or "'Fucking bean sprout' Kanda growled" I can do either, so which do you prefer?**

**OPINION: What 'emotions' or whatever would you like me to make chapters for? So far I've done pity, despair and content. What would you like? Review with your answer! **

**NOTE: I'm leaving for camp August 3rd and I'll be there for two weeks, with no internet connection so I won't be able to update until I'm back. **


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